


when the sun came up (you were looking at me)

by jaesungs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Kinda, M/M, Open Ending, and chensung, feuds for like 3 seconds, he said fuck toxic masculinity and heteronormative ideals, if you can’t handle it leave :), jeno wears a skirt and lipgloss, markren, nohyuckmin is poly, renjun and jisung wears skirts too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 05:26:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18359528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaesungs/pseuds/jaesungs
Summary: jeno is captain of the cheerleading team as well as captain of the “screw na jaemin and lee donghyuck” team, seeing that the two will not stop pulling the stupidest pranks on him. little does he know that he’s the person keeping them up at night.or, feuding cheerleader jeno and athletes jaemin and donghyuck featuring some pranks and a beautiful concept very few appreciate.





	when the sun came up (you were looking at me)

**Author's Note:**

> dedicated: to christel!!! i’m your secret spring equinox exchange person!!!!! i love you so much & i wrote this & asked zia and pax thousands of questions because i wanted you to like it!!!! love!!! you!!! forever!!! sorry it got a very long i do not know how to not overwrite. i hope you enjoy!
> 
> read the tags & comment if you enjoy! this fic is completely unbeta-ed and i’m terrified, but i hope people like this. i’m too eager to share. this was originally supposed to be 3k words max, and here we are. thank you for reading. p.s: i don’t know anything about basketball or cheerleading sooo
> 
> [edit 4.17.19] title: out of the woods by taylor swift

“if i weren’t required to cheer for you, i think i’d stomp on your throat.”

“feisty,” hyuck smirks, adjusting his green jersey. jaemin is right next to him, messing with his jersey and laughing like anything is funny at all.

jeno rolls his eyes. his team is paying him no attention, bored of their feud that has been going on since freshman year.

“jeno!” the coach yells, forcing jeno to look away from hyuck and jaemin. “back to practice, _now_.”

“looks like my lil angel’s in trouble,” hyuck says, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling. 

“i told you to stop calling me that,” jeno snaps. he adjusts his tank top and short shorts, ones that hyuck is shocked he didn’t get in trouble for wearing. “i’m not _your_ lil angel.”

jaemin chuckles, making a sound for the first time in five minutes. “that ‘cause you’re mine.”

“i have to go to practice. so do you,” jeno points over their shoulders to their coach whose arms are crossed over his chest, tapping his foot impatiently on the gym floor.

“oh shit,” hyuck groans before running back to their side, jaemin hot on his heels. 

jeno walks back to his team, shrugging at jisung and renjun when they raise their eyebrows at him. “okay! time to practice flying.”

⋆⋆⋆

“who the fuck put these fucking goldfish in our sinks?” jeno screeches, glaring at the girls who are looking at him helplessly. there are two large half circle sinks in their locker room, both have one drain which is covered by something jeno can’t make out, and filled three-fourths of the way with water and twenty goldfish each.

“oh my god,” renjun pushes his way to the front of the crowd. “what the hell?”

jeno is red, smoke practically coming out of his ears. “why are there goldfish in here. someone has two seconds to explain before i punch you.”

people mumble “i don’t know” and jeno closes his eyes to rub his temples.

“well, why can’t we just keep them here?” jisung brings in a number of murmurs, questions asking why not.

“because i’m sure as hell not cleaning our sinks out when they shit in them.” jeno gives them a pointed look and everyone sighs.

“but, we can’t throw them away, that’s literal animal abuse,” renjun points out. 

“well there’s twenty of us. every person will just have to take two.” jeno rubs his forehead. “but, first i need to kill a couple boys on the basketball team.”

ten minutes later, jeno is stomping into the boys basketball locker room, screaming for none other than hyuck and jaemin in his cheerleading skirt and t-shirt.

“angel,” jaemin greets first, waving and leaning against one of the lockers. the other boys in the locker room have cleared out, staying far away from the three of them because any time they’re together, something ends up broken. 

“i am going to kill you,” jeno glares at jaemin and then hyuck. “goldfish? fucking goldfish?”

hyuck giggles. “aren’t they cute?”

“no?” jeno huffs, rubbing his eye. “right before the game too? are you kidding? what am i supposed to do with them?”

jaemin shrugs his shoulders and checks his phone. “we gotta head out, jeno. see you out there.”

the two basketball players gather their water bottles and whatever else they need before waving jeno goodbye and leaving him in the locker room dumbfounded. he swallows hard, bitter taste in his mouth from his conversation. 

he heads back to his own locker room and puts on the rest of his uniform. it’s cute, long sleeve compression shirt with a lion on the front and a number of a player on the back. unfortunately for him, he got stuck with donghyuck’s number (4). the cheerleaders who were at the front of the formation got assigned a number that corresponded with a starter on the basketball team.

the game is about to start five minutes later, the crowd roaring. some schools did football, but neo high did basketball. he waves at the people in the crowd who are cheering, hyping them up. he stands with renjun in front of the student section.

“let’s go!” jeno hypes the crowd up as the basketball players re-enter the court, causing cheering and roaring. the cheerleaders all group up and start their usual cheers. jeno kind of spaces out, just goes through the motions of the cheer.

five minutes pass by in thirty seconds. jeno is standing, watching jaemin who’s doing the tip-off. the ref throws the ball in the air and jaemin swats it the fastest, hitting it to hyuck who takes it and dribbles down the court before passing to his team member.

the cheerleaders have to turn around after tip-off. they’re only allowed to watch it because jeno yelled at their coach that it wasn’t fair for them to miss it. after that, if they turn around to watch the game they get kicked off the team. jeno still doesn’t understand why, but he’s too committed to defy it.

first quarter ends and jeno’s throat is sore from screaming. the student section hasn’t quieted down since and that requires a continuous stream of cheers. luckily the seniors sitting in the section lead some of the chants.

the first quarter break is nice because jeno is allowed to grab some water while the pep band plays. he’s waved to by hyuck and jaemin, the first of the two mouthing something about jeno being cute. jeno rolls his eyes and waves back before replacing his worn off lip gloss.

jisung asks to borrow it, which jeno happily hands over. “it tastes kind of like cherries.”

“not really,” jisung says after putting some on. “‘s kind of weird tasting.”

jeno shrugs. “least its pretty.”

“true.” jisung stares at the person he’s been pining over for the past year of high school, zhong chenle, who’s friends with jeno’s mortal enemies.

“when are you going to talk to him? i mean how can he deny you when you look so cute?” 

“when you admit that you’re in love with hyuck _and_ jaemin.”

“am not!” jeno stomps his foot in protest.

“are too!” jisung does the same. 

their break ends thirty seconds later and they’re back to cheering in front of the audience. jeno enjoys the way it feels, like being high but without the drugs. there’s this little buzz in his head, dizzy and dazed from the bright lights and attention. 

second quarter is longer, always is because they’re one period away from half-time but two periods away from the end. they’re five points behind and jeno can see from the corner of his eye that jaemin’s sitting on the bench, icing his knee from the previous quarter. hyuck walks over to him, kneels down in front of him, and touches his face, holds it in his hands and says something that makes jaemin smile, in turn makes jeno smile a little.

jeno is yelled at by his coach and refocuses on cheering. the crowd is cheering less, discouraged by the point difference. jeno can tell that the basketball team is discouraged too because the coach has put in the people who sit fifth or sixth in line. jaemin is injured from what jeno can see and hyuck is trying his best on the court but he’s getting tired.

it’s not the championship game, but it’s the semi-final game that qualifies them for the finals. they can’t slack off. if they don’t win this game, they don’t make it to the game that will get them to nationals. and, they have to win nationals or else, as hyuck likes to put it.

it’s senior year and it’s their last chance. their freshman year, they went to semi-finals but didn’t win by a long shot, came in forty-third overall. sophomore year they didn’t even qualify for the semi-final games which would determine the thirty-two teams in south korea that went to finals, and then eventually the sixteen teams of nationals. junior year they lost by two in their last game, the game that dictated the winner of nationals. so, jeno more than understands why the stakes are so high. watching his team lose had been hard, but watching hyuck and jaemin beat themselves up over the loss last year had been the worst.

the quarter ends and they’re ten points behind now. losing jaemin is taking a toll on the rest of the team, and their rival team can tell. jeno can see them snickering and pointing at jaemin, who’s clearly in pain, holding his shoulder.

jeno’s on the court, ready for the halftime show when he snaps. “hey!” he calls for the boys pointing. “you should stop laughing ‘cause you’re gonna get your ass kicked in the second half.”

one of the boys with a number 6 on his jersey smirks at jeno. “yeah? and, what are you gonna do about it? you’re a boy in a skirt.” his friend howls with laughter.

jeno crosses his arms over his chest, hip jut out of the side. “and, what about it?” he raises an eyebrow. “‘s too bad your girlfriend's ass doesn’t look half as good as mine.” he motions to the girl with a big bow in her hair that has a number 6 on it. “next time you go to fuck her you’ll imagine me instead, won’t ya? don’t let her know your fantasies are me and not her, baby.” 

jeno doesn’t stick around to hear what they have to say, but he doesn’t see anymore snickering after that. he goes to his spot in the middle of the gym floor, smiling and waving. the routine is simple enough, not yet as advanced as their floor routine for nationals.

they’re done in six minutes, jeno on the top of the pyramid, grinning. he notices hyuck and jaemin smirking at him, arms crossed over their chests as they sit back to watch. he rolls his eyes and makes sure to wink at them, blows them a kiss even, which hyuck catches and pockets.

third quarter begins a few minutes later and the crowd rejoices when hyuck makes two baskets in the first five minutes. something in jeno’s heart swells with pride and something in his heart breaks when he sees jaemin sitting on the bench, just watching.

they’re tied at the end of third quarter. hyuck is dragging ass, slumped next to jaemin, head on his shoulder. the younger pets hyuck’s hair and kisses him on the cheek. 

“god, you’re creepy,” renjun comments next to him, sipping on his water. “so creepy.”

jeno tears his eyes away from the two boys in front of him. “stop. no, i’m not.”

“you’ve been pining over them since freshman year. it’s so humiliating to watch,” renjun grabs his chapstick from his green backpack, embroidered with his name and neo high cheerleading, same as the rest of the teams.

“have not.” jeno bites his lip and lets himself glance back over to the two. hyuck is holding jaemin’s ice bag on the younger’s knee, giggling about something while jaemin uses his arms to make big motions.

renjun hits jeno’s hip with his own. “it’s obvious, j. you light up when they're around. someday you’re going to get off your high horse and admit you’re in love with them. school is ending soon, we’re graduating in, what? four months? give it up. it’s been four fucking years.”

jeno wants to bring up mark lee, the drama kid renjun’s been talking about since forever, but he doesn’t have time to respond because the final quarter is starting. he’s back to screaming like there’s no tomorrow. fourth quarter is tense. jeno can hardly breathe, can only listen to what the person over the intercom is saying.

_“number twelve shoots and misses! defense, neo high! number eight is back in! let’s go na jaemin!”_

there are fifteen seconds left in the game when neo high calls timeout, still tied. jeno rallies the crowd, starting a cheer. the game continues. jaemin is on the court, holding his shoulder, but still going. jeno turns around, not even caring about the consequences. the rest of the team follows.

the other team has the ball. the other team is running down the court. and, the ball is being taken by jaemin. he dribbles as far as he can before the coach and the rest of the gym is yelling at him to shoot. it’s impossible. he’s too far, knee shot and aching, but he tries.

the ball hits the rim and rolls around. once. twice. and, it’s falling in right as the buzzer hits. 

jeno screams so loud he can’t hear anything but himself. his team tackles him, so he’s buried under their weight, unable to see jaemin. he can’t believe it, jaemin scored the winning shot. the three-pointer that he’d tried thousands of times and missed thousands of times.

getting up and changing is a blur. everyone is squealing with excitement. they’re so close to nationals. one more game to win and then they’re on a bus heading to seoul, their basketball capital. 

renjun and jisung tell him that they’ll see him at the party that some random guy is hosting for the big win. he bids his goodbyes, deciding that he’ll deal with the goldfish tomorrow at practice.

as he leaves the locker room, he runs into jaemin and hyuck, literally. their bodies knock him on his ass when he runs into them in the dark. “jesus fuck.”

they turn around, laughing at him. they both offer him a hand while giggling, both which jeno denies.

“rude.” jeno wipes the dust off his ass and purses his lips. “good job. i guess.”

“i scored the winning point, don’t i deserve a winners kiss?” jaemin puckers his lips.

“maybe if you win nationals,” jeno shrugs his shoulders. the air is chilly, but not freezing cold. he shivers anyway. “you going to the party?”

hyuck shrugs. “nah. not in a party mood.”

“yeah,” jeno agrees, shoulders slouching. he can’t believe he’s even thinking about saying it, but it comes out before he can talk himself out of it. “you guys hungry? i’d kill for a burger.”

the two boys look at each other and then back to jeno. hyuck speaks up first. “you asking us on a date, angel?”

jeno rolls his eyes. “i hardly call getting burger king a date, but if that’s what you want. sure.” he doesn’t know where this is coming from because he’s _jeno_ and they’re _donghyuck and jaemin_. he’s supposed to hate him or something, but renjun’s words are sinking in. four months. that’s all that’s left for them and then they’re off to god knows where.

“count us in,” jaemin smiles at him and offers him his hand. jeno gingerly takes it before placing his other hand in hyuck’s. jaemin leads them to his car and throws his stuff in the back along with hyuck and jeno’s, not saying much but telling them whoever calls shotgun first sits in the front.

jeno is the lucky winner and climbs in the passenger seat, hyuck pouting the entire time he gets into the backseat. the drive to burger king is quiet, even though the air is buzzing with electricity. maybe it’s the big win, maybe it’s jeno realizing that they aren’t seniors forever that has them in this situation.

jaemin parks and they all go inside to burger king. they order practically the whole restaurant, even though they all mention they’re supposed to be eating healthy until they win nationals. hyuck says _win nationals_ like it’s an unquestionable fact. jeno thinks his cocky is cute, but jaemin slaps hyuck on the arm and tells him not to jinx it.

despite their enemy like relationship, unknown to most, they all get along really well. jaemin is sweet and charming, funny and spontaneous. hyuck is a reckless, but caring mess. and, jeno is the middle. they all fit together like a puzzle, which is clear tonight. when they’re in the middle of a prank war, the lines get all blurry. 

hyuck and jaemin eat their weight in chicken nuggets while jeno goes on to devour three burgers. they don’t care about the repercussions, not when they’re glistening under the fluorescent lighting, making a racket in the empty restaurant. 

jaemin drops jeno off at home around two a.m., sober as can be. he’s greeted by drunk off their asses renjun and jisung. he’s thankful that his room is on the first floor, far away from his parents. he thanks jaemin with a kiss on the cheek.

“congrats on the win,” he tells them both after kissing hyuck on the cheek too. (how could jeno _not_ kiss someone who pouts as cute as hyuck?) 

“wouldn’t have been able to do it without you,” jaemin says, holding hyuck’s hand while staring at jeno. “you’re the first half of my lucky charm.”

“yeah?” jeno raises an eyebrow. “too bad i don’t need a lucky charm to cheer.”

hyuck laughs at jeno’s reply. “c’mon, babe. we gotta go. you need to rest that knee.”

jaemin sighs and moves it before grimacing. “yeah.”

the two of them trade seats so that hyuck, the worst possible driver in the world, is sitting in the driver’s seat. jeno waves them goodbye from his front porch, renjun and jisung hanging onto him like koalas.

hyuck takes the car out of park and accidentally puts it into drive instead of reverse. he hits the break so that the tires squeal, inches from jeno’s garage. jeno is dumbfounded, frozen in place because hyuck is a fucking dumbass.

hyuck waves meekly before actually backing out of jeno’s driveway and hitting a right turn too hard, disappearing from jeno’s view seconds later.

jeno turns his attention to renjun and jisung. “i’m gonna kill if someone vomits on my floor.”

⋆⋆⋆

it’s monday morning and jeno is walking down the hallway when he realizes _the fucking goldfish_. he freezes in place, mouth open. how could he forget that there were fucking goldfish in the locker room sinks?

jaemin walks by and shuts jeno’s mouth for him, smirking over his shoulder before walking straight into hyuck’s arms.

they haven’t talked since hyuck almost ran straight into his garage door, not even a text. jeno isn’t surprised and he doesn’t doubt that the other two aren’t all that surprised either. they are who they are. who they happen to be are people who prefer the in real interaction.

“why are you just standing here?” jisung asks, nudging jeno with his elbow.

“the fucking goldfish.”

“oh, shit.” jisung is frozen in place too. they’re both stuck imagining the worst possible scenarios, like the fish upside down in the water, or dried out because all the water drained.

renjun stops by next, holding his books for his classes. “guys, class starts in three minutes, why are you just standing here?”

jisung answers. “the fucking goldfish.”

“oh, fuck.”

⋆⋆⋆

jeno spends the following three hours searching for a way to somehow get back at hyuck and jaemin. he’s fed up with their pranks. this war has been going on forever and it’s time someone wins.

“okay,” jeno greets when he walks into the locker room after school. “first, are the fish still alive?”

“yeah,” renjun replies, already dressed in his practice clothes. “i bought some fish food during lunch and convinced the office lady that if i didn’t get into the locker room before fifth hour i’d fail.”

there is a flurry of “nice” and “good job”, a few people even high five renjun.

“okay,” jeno says, clapping his hands. “great. now that we have forty fucking goldfish to care for, who wants to help me get revenge?”

the whole team raises their hands. jeno grins wickedly.

⋆⋆⋆

the next game isn’t for a week, but jeno decides to hold off on pulling his prank. instead, he simply creates his masterplan for the end of the season. he can be a bitch, but he has a heart. and, nothing would break it more than watching hyuck and jaemin lose nationals.

even as merciful as he is, jaemin and hyuck are the same. they continue to all him their lil angel, which jeno protests everytime. he hates that he secretly likes it. he hates that he smiles when they come around and pouts when they leave.

renjun and jisung tease him about it too. they’re constantly on his case during the week. it’s not his fault that he gets red and blushy and stutterry around two people. 

he almost kisses jaemin the first time on monday. he’s walking to his car when the younger corners him against the wall of the school. they’re so close, jeno can feel jaemin’s breath on his neck. he wants to kiss him, but he pulls away before their lips touch. and, when there’s jaemin, there will always be donghyuck. he almost kisses hyuck too that day when hyuck replaces jaemin, smelling like he just got out of the shower. 

the week continues on like that, up until friday. jeno is so tempted by them. renjun’s teasing becomes relentless, always going on and on about how jeno could have two boyfriends if he just dropped the act. the act being hating the two basketball players.

friday, today, jeno hasn’t seen either of them at all. he’s not surprised, considering the school is annoying as fuck and gives the basketball players whatever they want, excused absences included.

the halls are empty without the team making fools of themselves. jeno admits, annoyed, to renjun that he wishes jaemin or hyuck would text him while they’re at lunch, munching on the carrots his mom packed for him.

“you could always text them first,” renjun answers, typing on his phone with one hand while simultaneously taking a bite of his carrot. they’re both wearing their cheer uniforms like every game day. they’re uncomfortable and exposing, but its tradition

“no,” jeno disagrees after swallowing. “no.”

“you are so lame,” renjun rolls his eyes. “like so lame.”

“okay, when you text mark lee first, i’ll text jaemin and hyuck.” jeno gives him the look, but renjun just grins his shit eating grin. “oh, fuck. you didn’t, jun. did you?”

renjun shrugs. “guess you have to text them then.”

jeno face palms. “i’m an idiot.”

“yes, yes you are,” renjun giggles before returning to his phone. jeno grabs his own from his pocket and opens the message app. he clicks on start new chat and presses jaemin and hyuck’s numbers.

he doesn’t know what to say, how to start a conversation with them and renjun is of no help because he’s too distracted by mark lee to help his best friend.

“thanks for hanging me out to dry, bitch,” jeno sighs and leans back in his chair. 

renjun looks up for a second before going back to his phone. “they’re not my crushes. i don’t know what you want them to do? kiss you? take you on a date? what?”

jeno doesn’t know what he really wants from them either. or, maybe he does and he just doesn’t want it to be real. he shrugs. “dunno.”

“liar.”

“well. what am i supposed to say? renjun, help me! i’m in desperate need!” jeno shakes renjun’s arm, causing the older to throw his phone across the table.

renjun narrow his eyes at jeno and glares while reaching across the table to get his phone. “why is ‘hey’ not sufficient?”

“i need a reason to text them or else it looks sus.”

“it literally doesn’t.”

“what if i talk about the game tonight?”

“i-”

“great idea, renjun! thank you for helping!” jeno is typing away while renjun just sighs heavily and shakes his head. renjun doesn’t know why it’s so hard for jeno in particular to admit the truth to the two people he’s been in love with for four years. renjun doesn’t have any room to judge, especially not after pining over mark lee for quite literally forever.

“is this good?” jeno hands renjun his phone. 

**jeno 12:12 pm**  
heyyy are you guys excited for the game??

“‘s kind of boring,” renjun responds honestly. “but, i guess it suits you.”

“that’s mean,” jeno pouts, but presses send before he can talk himself out of deleting it. 

the rest of lunch passes by quickly. he doesn’t receive a text back, which isn’t surprising because everyone knows that the coach of the basketball team has a ridiculous tradition of forced meditation.

he’s halfway through seventh hour when jaemin responds with a selfie of him and hyuck, both dressed in sweatshirts, hoods pulled up over their messy hair. 

**jaemin**  
[ 1 image attachment ]  
we miss you lil angel

jeno has to keep from smiling like a fool.

 **jeno**  
see you out there loves  
don’t fuck it up

 **jaemin**  
don’t know how i could with you there  
see you soon, angel. hyuck says he can’t wait for the victory kiss  
i can’t wait either

jeno pretends it doesn’t make his heart flutter as he goes back to his calculus homework that was due at the beginning of class.

⋆⋆⋆

“oh my god, tell me you are fucking kidding me!” jeno stares at renjun’s ankle, practically gagging. “renjun! i-how...what...how are we going to do this routine?”

“well, i’m fucking sorry i sprained my fucking ankle, jeno! i didn’t mean to ruin your fucking floor routine you motherfucking cunt--oh, god! it fucking hurts, shit, shit, fuck, fuck, fuck. fuck!” renjun squeezes on jeno’s hand, practically breaking his finger as the athletic trainer sets his ankle. 

“okay,” the athletic trainer says, backing away. “your parents will need to take you to the emergency room.”

“but when will i be able to cheer again?” renjun looks at her, pleading to hear the answer he needs. he’s so close to the end of the season. two weeks at most.

“honey, you won’t be able to walk on that ankle for a month at least.”

renjun starts to cry and jeno holds him tightly, letting him sob into his cheer uniform. 

“only i would be the person to fuck up their ankle a few weeks before nationals,” renjun’s voice is shaky. “bring me along anyway?”

jeno smiles softly. “of course. i’m not going to nationals without you, jun. but the game starts in five minutes and coach is going to kick my ass.”

renjun nods. “you better go.”

“text me how you are.” jeno gets up and waves as he runs towards the gym. the screaming is so loud he can hear it from yards away. he opens the door and walks inside. the team bombards him and he has the unfortunate job of telling them. renjun’s out for good.

the cheerleaders are in low spirit and their coach doesn’t tell them to perk up because it’s not supposed to end like that for renjun. not his senior year.

tip-off, first quarter, and second quarter are one big blur. when jeno looks at the score, he sees neo high is twelve ahead. he glances to jaemin, who’s on the bench again, head down in his hands, hyuck rubbing his back. 

he feels like crying because jaemin is in pain, renjun’s injured, and this isn’t how senior year is supposed to end. if jaemin sits out, there’s no way they can win nationals. even if they put their best line-up in, there’s no way. jaemin’s the heart of the team. 

jisung comes over to him and hugs him, nuzzling into jeno’s neck despite the neck crane it takes. everyone is dragging ass, even though this is the game that carries them through to the first round of nationals. it’s like the second quarter. so close, yet so far. 

third quarter stays the same. they all know it’s a win, but it’s one that has little effect on the overall mood. the only thing getting jeno through is the knowledge that he won’t have 6 am practice tomorrow.

they win, no surprise. the cheerleaders all congratulate the players before filing in and then out of the locker room. jeno hugs jisung goodbye, offers him a ride home which the younger denies with a blush. jeno asks why jisung’s cheeks turn so red, and jisung bites his lip and smiles that smile jeno only sees when zhong chenle is involved.

“took you long enough,” hyuck greets him at the exit of the school. “thought you’d never get out of there.”

jeno shrugs and walks, not waiting to see if they’re behind him. 

“what’s up, angel?” hyuck asks, holding two bags on his shoulders. 

jaemin wraps his arm around jeno’s shoulder and jeno caves and reaches his hand out for hyuck, who takes it with no words exchanged.

“renjun sprained his ankle.”

“oh, angel,” jaemin sighs. “is he okay? besides the ankle, of course.”

“he’s fucked up that the season is over for him. i-i just don’t get why this had to happen now…” jeno rubs his forehead. “i know i sound so selfish because i’m not the one who has to sit out, but it’s just so fucked up.”

jaemin swallows hard. “think i know how he feels more than anyone at this point.”

“why?” jeno unlocks his car and throws his bag inside, allowing hyuck to do the same. “i see you...on the bench…”

he gets in the driver's seat and hyuck wordlessly sits in the backseat, no arguments. 

“m-my knee. i think...it’s just not good. coach tells me to ice it, rest it for nationals. but, i don’t think any amount of resting is going to fix it...and if i go to a doctor, they’re going to tell me the truth.” jaemin starts to cry, sniffles ringing clear through the car. jeno holds his hand and hyuck runs his fingers through the younger’s hair. 

“it’s okay,” hyuck whispers, kissing the back of jaemin’s head over the headrest. “you’re okay.”

jeno drives them back to his house, glad that for once his friends won’t end up drunk at his house. they lie in his bedroom, not saying much of anything because they don’t know what to talk about anymore, not with everything out in the open.

jaemin is injured, hyuck doesn’t want to play nationals without him, and jeno doesn’t want to watch them lose because of it. 

they fall asleep, limbs tangled in jeno’s bed. it’s cramped and uncomfortable almost the entire time because there’s not enough room and none of them are necessarily small, but jeno wouldn’t trade it for the world. not at that moment. not ever.

⋆⋆⋆

“first round of nationals is in three days,” hyuck shrieks into the phone. “oh my god, i think i’m going to die.”

“don’t do that,” jeno responds mindlessly, nail scraping at the blue, green sheet on his bed, still wrinkled from all his cuddles with jaemin and hyuck. “i’m gonna be cheering for you the whole time.”

“i agree,” jaemin says, voice crackling because he has the worst fucking signal in the entire world. “i kinda want you around for college.”

“it won’t matter if i live or die if we lose,” hyuck sighs and jeno can imagine him rubbing his temples like he always does. 

there’s silence, but it’s one of those silences where it’s more comforting than it is awkward. it’s always like that for the three of them, though. that’s one of the many things jeno likes about them.

they started to talk on the phone when they’re not together, which is about twenty percent of the time. jeno doesn’t mind, likes the way it feels to be around them 24/7. he thinks he’s addicted, slightly.

“you guys wanna see the new movie with me?” jaemin asks, connection shitty as ever. 

“shouldn’t you be seeing a doctor?” hyuck snips because he’s been on jaemin’s case about it for the past week. jeno has remained silent on the whole thing, refusing to take sides. both make sense to him. jaemin doesn’t want to go because he wants to play. hyuck wants him to go so he can play in the future.

“i will,” jaemin sighs. “eventually. after the scout from seoul sees us play at nationals. soon.”

it’s obviously a sore spot for both of them because jeno can feel the tension. he wants to step in, but he figures it’s not his place. jaemin and hyuck have been jaemin and hyuck for four years. they know each other better than most people get to know their spouse in fifty, so jeno keeps quiet until hyuck eventually agrees to see the movie.

“is it the one about the ninjas?” jeno asks, not even really comprehending what he’s saying.

“...ninjas?” jaemin giggles and jeno huffs, pretending to be hurt.

they make plans for the movie before hanging up because none of them can get their homework done on the phone, despite how much convincing hyuck tries. 

and, when jeno thinks about the two of them, he can’t help but smile. he tries his hardest, but they’re always there when he closes his eyes, when he opens them, when he’s just sitting there with nothing on his mind. 

renjun said that he’s been in love with them since freshman year, but jeno thinks he’s finally realizing that it’s been longer than freshman year. maybe the days count up to be four years, but the moments that he wishes would last forever add up to eight million infinities.

⋆⋆⋆

the movie was shitty, but jeno liked holding hands with hyuck and jaemin and the popcorn from the theatre, so it was worth it. he’s still thinking about it as they’re boarding the train to seoul, renjun yapping in his ear about his date with mark lee.

turns out, renjun has more balls than jeno could even imagine. renjun ended up getting mark lee’s number from some kid in his math class and texted the older first, even though he was a freshman in college. they’ve been talking ever since, which jeno is happy and slightly jealous about. not that he’d admit that to anyone aloud.

they’re on a separate train than the players, which most of them are bummed about. jisung is sulking and jeno is trying his hardest as captain to make the best of the situation. maybe he’s fake, but he’d much rather talk to jaemin and hyuck than listen to renjun blabber on about how much he loves mark lee. 

the ride isn’t that long, but jeno ends up sleeping for all of it. he’s surprised he’s able to, considering the amount of stress that’s flying through the air. everyone’s stressed as the end closes in on them. it’s inescapable, like having the walls crush you, suffocate you even.

jeno can’t imagine how jaemin and hyuck feel as the people who are supposed to carry the team through as winners of nationals. 

they’re stepping off the train and making the drive to their hotel, which had been a splurge on the coaches part. jeno, renjun, and jisung all share one room because cheerleaders and basketball players are forbidden from sharing rooms.

renjun and chenle disappear a few minutes after they drop their stuff on the floor of the hotel room, barely bidding goodbye to jeno. he goes to the bathroom, flicking on the light and cringing at the brightness. he runs a hand through his hair and touches the bags under his eyes. he soon comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t care if he has dark circles under his eyes, he’ll still have jaemin and hyuck clinging to him.

he walks to their shared room with chenle, room void of the youngest. he knocks on the door and jaemin answers, shirtless and hair wet. 

“why’d you shower? we haven’t even had dinner,” jeno comments as he steps into the room that’s already been trashed. clothes cover the floor, along with food wrappers from the train ride. 

jaemin shrugs his shoulders and leans in to kiss jeno softly on the cheek. they haven’t kissed on the lips yet, despite the hundreds of times they had the chance. jeno wants it to be perfect. or maybe, he’s scared he’s not a good enough kisser for them. they never have to know the truth.

the shower is running, hyuck still in. jeno and jaemin lay on their shared bed, watching TV while waiting for hyuck. when he exits the bathroom, he doesn’t do more than wave at jeno before dropping his towel and getting dressed while jeno and jaemin laughed in the background at the sitcom.

hyuck joins them, hair sopping wet and hitting jeno’s face. he kisses jeno on the forehead before turning his attention to the TV. 

they lose track of time, which isn’t a surprise when it comes to them. they’re always so lost in their own little universe. when jeno finally checks his phone, it’s six p.m. he has a dozen texts from his team, asking him where he is.

“fuck,” jeno rubs his forehead and jumps off the bed. “sorry, the team calls.”

jaemin rolls his eyes playfully and hyuck smiles softly before telling him to go to his team. jeno waves goodbye before dashing out of the room toward the elevators so that he can make it to the team dinner on time.

⋆⋆⋆

he’s back around nine, tired and dragging ass. when he gets to his room, hyuck and jaemin are there, laying on his bed. he smiles drowsily at them and changes quickly into his pjs, consisting of a t-shirt and pink, cotton cat shorts he got at some store for 70 percent off.

“was it fun?” hyuck asks, giving jeno a kiss on the forehead out of habit as he moves in between the two of them on the bed. jaemin throws the comforter of him, so that his legs touch both of theirs.

“yeah,” jeno yawns. “we just talked about the new floor routine. it slaps hard.”

jaemin turns on his side so that he’s facing jeno. “gonna do amazing out there.”

“really doesn’t matter how i do,” jeno dismisses, turning to face jaemin as well. he doesn’t want to box out hyuck, and frankly the younger doesn’t feel like he’s iced out. he just spoons jeno from behind so that he can see both of them.

“well, if you do bad then you’re going to embarrass us,” hyuck reminds him, groaning when jeno stabs him in the side with his elbow. “hey! don’t hurt me, i’m needed alive until after nationals at least.”

“right, sorry. where’s my decency? i’ll kill you after nationals.” jeno rolls his eyes and jaemin laughs, which earns him a flick on the forehead from hyuck.

there’s a lull in the conversation, just them listening to each other’s breathing. it’s not as weird as it sounds.

“it hurts,” jaemin speaks up after a while. “i’m scared…”

hyuck shoots up instantly and jeno moves to let him closer to jaemin, knowing that hyuck would be able to comfort him better. hyuck got it in a way jeno wouldn’t ever really understand. despite the fighting over the course of treatment, or lack thereof, hyuck knew how to hold jaemin so that he wouldn’t hurt his bad knee.

“don’t be scared,” hyuck tells him, cradling him. jaemin’s head is nuzzled into hyuck’s neck, non-injured side pressed close to hyuck, the older of the two’s arms wrapped around his waist. “it’ll be okay, baby. it’ll be okay.”

jaemin cries for the second time that jeno’s seen, and the sight breaks his heart into a billion pieces easily. jaemin is beautiful, even when he’s sobbing and his cheeks are rosy red and his lips are swollen. jeno doesn’t just think he’s in love, he knows for sure.

there aren’t words exchanged as hyuck pulls jeno into his lap, squishing them all together into one big sandwich. it’s too fucking warm, but jeno doesn’t complain as he clings onto both of them. he realizes that he could spend the rest of his life like that. he’d spend every life like that.

curfew is called thirty minutes later, all three of them nearly asleep when renjun and jisung walk into the room. they try not to make any disruptive noises, but chenle comes stomping in to collect his roomates. he kisses jisung quickly before he goes, almost like he couldn’t believe jisung was his to kiss.

jeno falls asleep alone, but he spends the whole night dreaming of two people the same way he’d appeared in their dreams since freshman year. they’re all happy, laughing, kissing. time doesn’t exist, basketball and cheerleading don’t exist. instead, it’s just them in jeno’s bedroom, cuddling forever.

⋆⋆⋆

he’s awake at five a.m., helping girls with their hair. he feels like the stereotypical gay best friend, but he doesn’t have time to worry about it when they have to leave in an hour for the first two rounds of nationals. they start with the “sweet sixteen” (inspired by north america’s march madness) where the sixteen teams play each other based on rank. neo high’s team is ranked eighth, the exact center. if they win their first game, they go on to to play in the “elite eight” which will qualify them for the final four and then eventually the championship game.

it’s a grueling process, and jeno doesn’t want to watch jaemin and hyuck endure it. but, he’s still stepping on a bus to the courts. the courts are huge, seats stacked to the ceiling, different from their little gym back in busan.

everyone is antsy, unable to sit still. jeno is holding hands with renjun and jisung, even though renjun’s still on crutches. he’s in his uniform, minus the skirt, with a little makeup on. he hasn’t had the chance to talk to jaemin or hyuck, or even wish them luck through text. he doesn’t know how they are and he thinks it might be better if he doesn’t ask.

the first game starts at seven a.m. sharp because they have to fit two games into the day. when jeno arrives, it’s 6:45 sharp and both the teams are already on the courts warming up. the cheerleaders discard of their stuff behind the benches for the players, bottles of water and snacks for the day. 

the other team has cheerleaders too, which doesn’t always happen. teams ranked below eighth rarely bring their cheerleaders with them.

jeno yells for his team and gathers them to stretch. the crowd grows as time passes before the game. neo high’s student section is big and loud, something jeno is thankful for. the other team’s student section is about the same size. the first two games rarely have an audience, but jeno is glad that there’s one for this game.

renjun waves at mark lee, who’s standing in the bleachers with the parents waving back. jeno looks for his parents and grins when they smile at him. he starts hyping the crowd up, inspiring the other team’s cheerleaders to do the same.

the game starts at 7:01, jaemin doing tip-off again. he winks at jeno before the ball is tossed up and he slaps it back to his team mate. 

the score is tied at halftime, thirty to thirty even. everyone is on edge, knowing that one basket could take them to the championship game.

jaemin is on the bench, taken out of the game the first sub in first quarter and not put back in since. hyuck has only rested once and he’s fucking exhausted, practically falling asleep during halftime. neither team is allowed to do a performance, instead music is blasted from the speakers as the teams are allowed to shoot baskets or just rest.

jeno walks over to jaemin and hyuck, even though their coach already told him that talking to the players is “forbidden”. jaemin greets him first, grabbing his hand and rubbing the skin. hyuck wakes up from his nap, head in jaemin’s lap, body sprawled out on the bench to say hi before falling asleep again.

“almost done with this game,” jeno says, intertwining his fingers with jaemin’s. “are you gonna play again?”

“i dunno,” jaemin shrugs and looks at his coach who’s yelling at some other members of the team on the court. “guess it depends on how the game goes. my knee is shot and he knows. he doesn’t want to put me in this game and not be able to in the championship.”

“makes sense,” jeno licks his lips and touches jaemin’s cheek softly. “you’re going to win nationals this year. i know it.”

jaemin smiles and tugs jeno forward, pulling him closer to him. “where’s the skirt. miss your long legs.”

“people suck,” jeno bites his lip. “guess i just didn’t want to deal with all the scrutinizing looks.”

jaemin pouts. “wear it for championships, angel. you look beautiful without it, but i know you like it better. suits you.”

jeno runs his fingers through jaemin’s hair. “tell hyuck that he’s doing good out there when he wakes up.”

“i can hear you,” hyuck says, eyes still closed. “thank you, angel. feels like it's all falling apart without jaemin...i need him out there.”

jeno leans down and caresses hyuck’s cheek, despite the sweat that he missed when wiping off. “you got this. don’t doubt yourself now...you’re amazing, hyuck. really.”

hyuck opens his eyes just to grab jeno’s other hand and kiss it. “don’t know what i would do without you guys.”

they’re forced to break apart about three minutes before the third quarter starts. jeno jogs back over to the cheerleaders who are munching on the snacks the players didn’t want. they all greet him with a smile, renjun grinning so smugly jeno wants to smack him.

third quarter neo high takes the lead early on and then loses it soon after. they’re behind two points, one basket, when fourth quarter begins. hyuck’s been benched, too tired to be able to play. jaemin’s on the court, from what jeno can tell, and he’s doing good. whatever drugs he took seem to be working because he makes a three-pointer within two minutes of being on the court.

they’re one point behind in the last five minutes. the other team is trying their hardest to keep neo high from the ball and neo high is trying their hardest to make just one basket. that’s all they need. all they need.

jeno is screaming like a crazy person. hyuck is on his feet, begging his coach to put him in. the rest of the cheerleaders are hyping up the crowd, but jeno is watching intently and his coach doesn’t even have the heart to tell him to turn around.

jaemin is dribbling the ball down the court when someone from the other team body slams him straight into the floor, the impact on his bad knee. there’s a collective gasp and then silence. terrible, horrible silence has jaemin lies there on the floor. 

hyuck breaks the silence by screaming this blood curdling cry, running onto the court and falling next to jaemin. the other guy has taken a knee, everyone else on the court following suit. 

jaemin hasn’t made a sound and he’s facing away from jeno. the coach drops his clipboard and drops to the floor, turning jaemin off his side and onto his back. jeno can see the tears streaming down jaemin’s face as the medics pick him up and place him on a stretcher, rolling him off the court.

nobody has said a word, hyuck still frozen and still on both knees where jaemin was before him. he stands up first and walks back to his team, where members hug him. the game commences, the refs giving the ball to neo high. hyuck bitterly takes the ball, the coach allowing him back in because of his newfound fire.

hyuck dribbles four times, his lucky number before shooting. he makes it easily, all net and no rim. jeno jumps up in down in excitement. hyuck is given the ball for the second shot which he makes with no trouble at all.

his teammates high five him and then they’re off to play. hyuck plays with aggression jeno has never seen. he’s taking the ball from people and running down the court, throwing so far and hard that his teammates are grimacing when they catch it.

but, neo high wins. everyone is cheering loud, jeno is hugging the cheerleaders out of excitement. the crowd is going wild. the only person not celebrating is hyuck, who’s taking off toward the locker rooms where jaemin is.

jeno watches him and renjun nudges him forward, silently telling jeno that he’ll handle everything else. jeno runs after hyuck, panting when he enters the locker room.

he walks around the corner to the back of the locker room and jaemin’s on the stretcher, ice on his knee while hyuck holds his hand, kissing it feverishly.

“oh god,” jeno breathes out the second he sees jaemin’s knee. it’s swollen and they all know it’s over for jaemin.

“my angel,” jaemin whispers, voice barely there, eyes barely open. “we won.”

“you’re hurt,” jeno cries out, kneeling on the other side of jaemin’s stretcher. “your knee...i-”

“shh,” jaemin hushes jeno, finger to the older’s lips. “i don’t wanna talk about it right now.”

“you have to go to the doctor!” jeno’s voice has raised an octave, tearing up already. “you can’t stay here.”

“it’s okay,” jaemin looks at jeno and puts his hand under his jeno’s chin, forcing him to look up. “the medic said i’ll be okay to stay here. when we get back to busan, i’ll have to see the doctor. start physical therapy or something, i don’t know. it’s okay.”

jeno is silent. “d-do your parents know?”

jaemin shakes his head. “not yet. i’ll tell them when they get here for final four. otherwise they’ll worry themselves sick.”

jeno doesn’t argue with him, instead he opts to just sit their and hold his hand. the coach comes in to get jaemin when it’s time to go back to the hotel. it’s only noon and they don’t play the second game until six p.m.

jaemin’s coach offers him crutches. the two of them walk ahead of jeno and hyuck. jeno takes hyuck’s hands without any snarky comments, too devastated to come up with anything sassy.

hell has to freeze over for jaemin to play again and they both know it. jaemin is trying to be positive because that’s just who he is, but they both know that he’s going to fall apart when they get to the hotel.

the ride to the hotel is eerily quiet. jeno doesn’t say anything to anyone except renjun and jisung who ask how jaemin is. he just tells them the truth: jaemin’s done for. maybe the whole team is.

⋆⋆⋆

“i love you,” jeno whispers in the dark, to both of them as he lies in between them while they nap. jaemin’s knee is propped up on a pillow and hyuck lying on his stomach. jeno has a hand on each other them, rubbing every so often because he can. “more than you’ll ever know.”

but, they know. how could they not when everything about jeno screams _i love you_? sometimes, every action a person takes can show you that they love you—and, even those actions they never take do the same thing—but, with jeno it’s just there. he stands there and it shows.

⋆⋆⋆

“we’re going to win,” renjun is on the verge of tears, a little choked up. “they’re going to final four.”

jeno is crying next to him, already so proud. halftime of the elite eight game has given jeno the chance to finally breathe. he woke up late and rushed out of the hotel to make it, jaemin and hyuck hot on his heels. 

the game started with neo high in the early twenty point lead. and, they’re still twenty to zero as jeno stands on the sidelines with renjun at his side. jaemin is on the bench, knee wrapped in compression wrap. hyuck is still exhausted, anyone can see it in his eyes as he practices his free throws on the court.

“don’t jinx us.” jeno smiles tiredly, hugging himself, forcing his eyes to stay open. he thinks everyone feels about the same. weary. the players are overworked, always are during nationals week.

the game resumes and nct high wins. everyone screams loud. it feels like there should be confetti falling from the sky or something, but everyone is so close to collapsing that they file onto the buses and sleep the entire twenty minute ride.

they order a bunch of pizza. jeno claims a box and takes it back to jaemin and hyuck’s room, along with drinks he bought at the front desk for an absurd amount of money. 

“only two more games,” jeno says, mindlessly drawing shapes on hyuck’s bareback with his fingertips. jaemin is on chenle’s bed because being cramped on one bed is causing him to strain his knee, or something neither jeno nor hyuck really got but let him do. he’s convinced if he takes care of his knee for one night, he’ll be able to play the last two games.

“‘s crazy. we’re so close to the end of the season. to the end of high school,” jaemin seems distant, like he’s half-asleep already. jeno doesn’t blame him.

hyuck is already knocked out after eating four slices of pizza and showering. 

“i’m scared,” jeno reveals weakly. “about the future. i don’t know what it’s going to do. to me...to us.”

jaemin is silent for a long time, so long jeno thinks he must’ve fallen asleep or something. but, eventually jaemin speaks up. “don’t be scared about us, jeno. me and hyuck...we’ve...we’ve been...well, you will never be far from us. uni...the future, whatever. you can’t get rid of us that easily.”

jeno smiles, mind a little foggy from the exhaustion. he doesn’t know what to say. he has three words in mind, but he remains silent instead. he doesn’t care when the coaches come by and call curfew. he just stays there, next to hyuck and jaemin across the room. he could stay there forever. he wishes they could.

⋆⋆⋆

the final four and championship games happen on different days. the final four game doesn’t start until six and jeno is bored out of his mind just waiting.

the basketball team is gone for the entire day, doing meditation and yoga to help them relax. it’s a tradition that they’ve had for a long time, and even when jaemin and hyuck wanted to skip, they knew better. respect the tradition and you win nationals, that’s the motto.

“if they don’t win nationals…” jeno mumbles to himself mostly, even though renjun and jisung are in the room.

“they will,” renjun reassures him, hanging upside down off the bed. “they will.”

jeno hums, turning his music up on the speaker while jisung dances along in the middle of the room. they sit there not talking to each other, just enjoying the song.

and, they stay like that until jaemin, jeno, and chenle come trampling into the room. they look a hell of a lot more relaxed than when they left. 

jaemin and hyuck greet jeno with a kiss on the cheek. jisung tackles chenle, almost taking him to the ground. renjun just pouts because mark isn’t there.

“you guys ready?” jeno asks as he cuts the music. he checks the time and realizes that they need to start getting dressed for the game. 

“ready to win this thing? hell yeah,” hyuck grins. chenle high fives him and whoops. jaemin just frowns. they all feel for him, but there’s nothing they can do when he’s still on crutches. hyuck has been holding back his i told you so because jaemin looks so pitiful.

they leave a few minutes later so that jeno, jisung, and renjun can prepare. it always feels like the cheerleaders put more preparation into getting ready than the players, but jeno doesn’t mind. not when he gets to watch the way hyuck and jaemin light up when they make a basket or when they get the win. he thinks that anything would be worth even one chance to see them the way they are on the court. ethereal. focused. beautiful.

⋆⋆⋆

they’re down by four. they have to make two baskets in four minutes to go into overtime. and, hyuck’s sitting on the bench next to jaemin. there’s no way. they all know it. the other team knows it too.

jeno’s pompoms are laying on the floor, ones they only break out for the final four and championship games. he can’t bare to watch, so he focuses his attention on jaemin and hyuck who are watching intently. he tunes everything out and watches them. 

it’s like they’re the only three people in the room. to hell with the crowd and the other team and the game going on. when he sees them, everything makes sense. the world spins on its axis because of their smiles. the world revolves around them.

he’s so caught up in their faces that he misses the shot that takes them to the championship game. jeno is tackled to the floor, ears finally tuning back in. it’s so loud that he thinks he might be going partly deaf. he can see through this small window between bodies. hyuck and jaemin are hugging so tight that jeno can’t see where their bodies end or begin. he smiles tenderly, heart pounding hard from just seeing them.

jisung is on top of him, screaming and hitting the gym floor. “we won! we won! we’re going to championships!”

the excitement doesn’t die even as they’re on the bus. the chatter is so loud that jeno hears snippets of every single conversation. he’s being just as loud and obnoxious though, laughing like he has no cares in the world, hugging every person. 

the basketball team goes out for dinner, so jeno is stuck with renjun and jisung. they warm up instant ramen and giggle the entire time while watching some lame k-drama on the hotel tv. it’s so perfect, he realizes, as he’s snuggled in between renjun and jisung on one bed. he doesn’t think he could get any happier than this moment, so he takes a shitty selfie with them to remember it.

⋆⋆⋆

“kiss me,” hyuck begs, pressing jeno against the wall outside of the gymnasium two minutes before they’re supposed to be inside. “please.”

his hands are on jeno’s waist, squeezing every so often. he smells good, like mint maybe. jeno can’t really describe it, make it out because his head is all fuzzy and warm. “after. when you win. incentive.”

“just one?” hyuck looks up at him with those big pouty eyes, lips pursed and puckered. he’s so cute jeno thinks he might combust, hands running through the younger’s hair.

“the first thing you do when you step off that court is kiss me. kiss me. after you win.” jeno feels himself getting lightheaded and blushy, cheeks rosy red. “okay, we’ve got to go in.”

“you’re my good luck charm, angel. when we win this, it’ll be because of you.” hyuck kisses his forehead softly, staying there for a moment just because. 

jeno shakes his head gently, hands resting on hyuck’s cheeks. “no, it’ll be because of you and jaemin. you and him. not me.”

hyuck’s eyes are filled with stars and jeno has always loved the galaxy. “oh, lee jeno. you have no idea how incredibly special you are. the stars shine for you.”

“guess that’s why your eyes sparkle, donghyuck. for me, afterall.”

⋆⋆⋆

“they’re going to put jaemin in...look,” renjun points to where jaemin is standing up, tape covering his knee.

jeno just shakes his head, heart pounding even harder than it was two seconds. “he can’t. he can’t. i-”

renjun says something, but jeno can’t hear him over the deafening crowd. everybody came out for the championship game because there’s the a possibility, slim or not, that they’ll win the game. that’s enough. jeno’s parents are in the crowd, jaemin’s and hyuck’s too. when jeno saw jaemin’s parents walk in, he realized that they didn’t know about his knee and the game was already starting. 

“he’s going to hurt himself. someone’s got to stop him, renjun!” jeno isn’t loud enough over the roaring crowd behind him because na jaemin is entering the game during the third quarter. jeno feels his breath catch in his throat as jaemin steps onto the court.

he’s not limping, but jeno thinks it’s only because he’s stayed off of it for the past two days. jeno can see hyuck yelling at the coach, but nothing is changing his mind. the game is tied and hyuck is fine, so jeno can’t figure out why the coach is putting jaemin in.

it hits him that it’s because it’s jaemin’s last high school game. this is his last chance to take the team to the end, to make the win, to make the winning basket. if jaemin doesn’t play this game, there’s a chance he’ll never play this way again. jeno can’t imagine jaemin without basketball.

he does fine the remainder of the third quarter, scoring two points and putting them ahead by four, but when he finally collapses on the bench, jeno finally watches the facade crack. jaemin is tough and strong on the court, all seriousness and ferocity. but, when he’s next to hyuck, he falls apart. jeno has watched them...loved them…long enough to know that jaemin can be the meanest, strongest player on the court, but when it comes to lee donghyuck he’s weak and fragile. he steps down from his god status. even god needs someone to lean on.

so, when jaemin tears up and buries his head in donghyuck’s neck, jeno turns away. it’s too intimate, even for him. they’ve slept in the same bed hundreds of times, stared at each other like the universe revolves around one another, but even this is too personal. 

he applies his lipgloss, passing it to jisung who then passes it to renjun after swiping some over his bottom hip. the screaming hasn’t died down, has grown instead over the music playing through the overhead speaker system.

it goes quiet when fourth quarter starts and jaemin’s on the bench again while hyuck is running up and down the court. they just have to keep the lead. 

of course, though, they lose it within the last six minutes of the game. hyuck gets subbed out and the player that goes into him fucks up and practically passed the ball to the other team. it’s a blow to the chest, one that has jeno’s heart beating so hard he can feel the rapid pulse in his temples. 

fifty-four second left and they’re still two points behind. the coach yells for jaemin and hyuck during a time-out. the silence is practically unbearable, jeno jumps up and down to get rid of the nerves, shaking his arms and legs.

the time-out is over after twelve seconds, hand motions and clipboard throwing being part of it.

the game resumes and at the forty second mark, jaemin’s stumbling to the three-point line. hyuck is running toward him, dribbling and fighting off what seems like eight people when in reality it was only six.

twenty seconds, hyuck passes to some kid jeno can’t remember the name of under pressure. he’s sweating, a sweat drop falling off his face. the crowd is so loud, finally figuring out the strategy that made no sense whatsoever at first.

fifteen seconds, the ball is being passed to jaemin from what feels like is half the court when in reality it’s maybe six feet. nobody is guarding him because nobody knew what he was doing. but, jeno knows.

thirteen seconds, jaemin dribbles once. twelve seconds, twice.

eleven seconds, he’s shooting it over the people who finally step in front of him to guard him.

nine seconds, it hits the backboard. eight seconds, it hits the right side of the rim. seven seconds, the left side. six seconds, the right. five seconds, the left. three seconds, the right.

two seconds, so close. one second, falling. buzzer, right through the net. three-pointer.

jeno screams his head off, but he’s not even the loudest person in the room. confetti falls through the sky, silver and green. everything is moving in slow motion, jeno looks at hyuck who’s looking straight back at him with this grin on his face. both their team members are grabbing at them, but they both go running toward each other instead.

jeno wraps his arms around hyuck’s sweaty neck, not even caring and nuzzles into the crook of hyuck’s neck. hyuck squeezes jeno’s waist and twirls him around, screaming in excitement. jeno pulls back and he knows.

hyuck leans in and jeno leans in. confetti is still falling from the sky, the teams are so caught up they don’t even see. jeno doesn’t know what his parents are going to think, but he doesn’t care. he kisses donghyuck like there’s no tomorrow, like they just won nationals. 

hyuck is sweaty, lips included, but jeno just hugs him harder and follows hyuck’s lead. jeno starts to cry, tears streaming down his face.

“what’s wrong?” hyuck asks, pulling back and setting jeno on the floor for the first time.

jeno wipes his face with his sleeve. “your last game, our first kiss.”

hyuck grins and kisses him again just because. he’s interrupted by jaemin, who nudges him away with his hip. “don’t tell me angel’s not going to give me my winner’s kiss.”

jeno rolls his eyes, laughing at the confetti stuck in jaemin’s hair. he pulls him close by his jersey, close enough that their lips are almost touching. “winning basket again? show off.”

jaemin presses his lips to jeno’s first, not having a single care in the world except for wanting his kiss. jeno indulges him completely because, hey, he made the winning basket. 

“i’m getting jealous,” hyuck pouts from the side. jeno and jaemin break apart just to pull him into their group hug, crushing him in the center. 

“i’m so in love with you guy,” jeno murmurs, barely audible over the noise. yet, they hear him. they always do.

“i love you,” hyuck replies first, grinning when jaemin flicks him on the forehead.

“i love you, jeno. since october of freshman year. two months earlier than hyuck.” jaemin sticks his tongue out at hyuck, the latter just rolling his eyes and smiling.

jeno holds them close to him, not wanting to ever leave. “whatever life has in store for us, i’ll be right here to hold you.”

“that’s great, because i’m not sure i can walk on this knee by myself and i left my crutches wayyy over there.” jaemin squints toward the benches.

“i. fucking. told. you. so.” hyuck pecks jaemin on the lips before looking at jeno. “whatever happens, we’re here. even through the worst tsunami, we’ll be right here.” 

that’s all jeno wants. all he ever wanted, really.

⋆⋆⋆

when there’s a win, there’s always a party that follows. the coaches accepted the truth of the matter and retreated to their hotel rooms, informing the students to be mindful of others. luckily for the players and cheerleaders (and kids from their school who came solely for the party), the hotel is accommodating as long as there is no underage drinking. yeah, right.

that’s how jeno ends up in the middle of a dark conference room, far from the guests of the hotel, with music blasting from the speakers brought along with a drink in his hand. jaemin and hyuck are on top of him, dancing with him.

the whole party scene isn’t really him, but nobody can say no to the party that comes with a win. free alcohol. horrendous music. and, lots and lots of dancing—which his _boyfriends_ happen to be superb at. he’s squished in the middle of them, red solo cup in hand as the worst song jeno has ever heard plays through the speakers.

he’s not that drunk, maybe a little tipsy, but not drunk. neither is hyuck, but jaemin is drunk off his ass because it numbs the pain for a little bit. hyuck told him it was dangerous, jeno said it was unhealthy, but jaemin said the season was over and he didn’t care. they’re his boyfriends, not his mom, so they just handed him a cup and told him to drink up.

jeno is sweaty, black jean skirt sticking to him in all the wrong places. hyuck’s hair is stuck to his forehead, but he grins nonetheless. and, jeno loves the way it feels to be with them forreal. when they didn’t have a label, jeno didn’t mind because he pretty much knew how they felt. it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know, but being their _boyfriend feels_ different. his mom is probably wondering what the hell happened and his dad is probably planning their murder because they get handsy at the wrong times.

it’s around one a.m. when they decide to head up to jeno’s room because it’s vacant of people. they stumble into the elevator, jeno and hyuck practically sober but jaemin blabbering on and on about how he wants another drink. they tell him to shush as they drag him into jeno’s room.

they drop him on jeno’s bed and strip him of his nasty, sweaty as hell clothes. jaemin just comments about how they should undress him when he’s sober cause he wants to remember it, which jeno flicks him on the forehead for. they put him in a pair of jeno’s sweatpants and hyuck’s t-shirt that he left behind earlier. they prop his knee up on a pillow and tell him to go to sleep, both afraid that he’d choke on his own vomit in his sleep.

the two of them watch him for a while, holding hands as they observe his chest inflate and deflate. it’s weird (“a little bit a least,” hyuck promises when jeno says it can’t be that weird), but it helps ease both their fears. they talk about it, a little, how their hearts clenched and stopped when jaemin stepped on the court; how their breath got trapped in their throat, lungs burning for air but they couldn’t breathe. that kind of fear, numbing and terrifying all in one, was the thing that made hyuck tremble in his sleep. the kind of fear he had nightmares over. some people are scared of monsters, but hyuck fears jaemin’s pain the most.

jeno thinks that’s what love is. in some moments, seconds that last for what feels like hours, you forget about yourself all together because your whole being is composed of another person. you’ve let that person take your oxygen and replace it with their very own scent, they’ve trapped your heart in their ribcage and left you with their own. you don’t bleed red anymore, you bleed their eye color instead. you’re not you without them and they’re not them without you. and, even then, you’re far more them than you are you. not all the time, just in some brief moments when you look in the mirror and you see yourself, but the little parts of you have changed into a new person.

and, he finally understands that. when he steps out of the shower, he glows like hyuck. when he lets his hair down and runs a finger through it, he’s jaemin in his own body. his heart beats to the rhythm that hyuck and jaemin have already set through years of loving one another. he’s them and they’re him. 

“you should sleep,” hyuck tells him, still holding his hand while jaemin snores on the other bed. 

jeno rolls his eyes, hitting hyuck playfully on the chest. “you first.”

jaemin wakes up right as the first light of dawn hits and god is he hung over, but he pushes himself up off the bed and to the door that opens to the balcony where jeno and hyuck are sitting in sweatshirts.

he cracks open the glass door, shivering as the air hits him. jeno looks back and waves. he holds up a sweatshirt for jaemin. 

“thought maybe you’d wake up in time for the sunrise,” he says mindlessly as he stands up and walks over to jaemin. he touches jaemin’s cheek, grinning at the younger’s disheveled hair before handing him the sweatshirt. it smells like jeno and hyuck. jaemin appreciates it.

they lean against the balcony as the sun comes to the edge of the earth, starting to rise. it’s beautiful, magnificent even, but as jeno’s gaze is fixed on it, hyuck and jaemin are staring at him instead. he breaks away from the orange and blue sky to look at the two of them.

“maybe you should watch the sunrise,” jeno comments, but he doesn’t look back to the sky. they scooch closer to him, chins on his shoulders.

“i think we’re pretty good right here,” jaemin says and hyuck hums in agreement. they all intertwine fingers because hand holding is good for them, as hyuck so often says.

“i think,” jeno mumbles, head resting on jaemin’s while his arm wraps around the top of hyuck’s shoulders, pulling him even closer if that is even possible. “...no, i know. i’ll love you as long as the sky is around. i’ve thought about it...you know.. the earth explodes, but the sky will alway exist, even without earth.”

“so you’re saying forever?” hyuck raises and eyebrow, pecking jeno on the cheek.

“i’m saying forever.”

⋆⋆⋆

going home is the most bittersweet moment of his life. as he steps onto the train, he knows that cheerleading season is over. basketball season is over. and they’re that much closer to the end of high school

renjun and jisung ask him what happened after the party, they are hungover as fuck, but still attempt to make conversation. jeno tells them that he loves them and then says they need to sleep. they listen to him.

hyuck drives him back to his house, jaemin sprawled out in the backseat as the pain from his knee catches up to him. jeno kisses them both goodbye before bracing himself for his parents wrath.

and, surprisingly, they just hug him and say that as long as he’s happy, they’re happy. they do tell them that if they aren’t formally introduced soon, he will be grounded for life. jeno thinks it’s fair. 

he crashes a little bit later in his bed after telling his _two boyfriends_ the good news about his parents. jaemin tells them that he’s going to the doctor and will update them. hyuck doesn’t respond, and jaemin and jeno know that it’s because he’s already passed out.

jeno falls asleep with both of his boyfriends in mind. he doesn’t know how he got so lucky, but god is he thankful. maybe his season is over, but he got so much out of it. a nationals win. two boyfriends. a reminder that life is good even when it seems bad.

⋆⋆⋆

“you think i forgot about the prank?” he asks his team as they’re cleaning out the cheer locker room. “hell no. my two goldfish are a reminder that we’ve got some serious basketball boy ass to kick.”

they laugh, renjun and jisung just shaking their heads. jeno double checks his lockers, triple checking to make sure he got all his lipgloss he had scattered throughout his four lockers. senior and captain perks, as he puts it.

“well what are we going to do?” a girl calls out from the bathroom, gathering her makeup. 

jeno smiles this shit-eating grin. “meet me here tomorrow at two p.m.. i’ll bring everything we need.”

⋆⋆⋆

at two p.m. sharp, jeno leans against the door to the boys locker room as his team inside executes his brilliantly thought out plan. there’s a knock on the door ten minutes later. he opens the door raises his eyebrows.

“is it done?” he asks.

renjun and jisung grin. “it’s done.”

oh, jeno knows he’s going to get so much shit for it. he doesn’t even care.

⋆⋆⋆

“who the fucking hell put fucking crickets in our locker room?” hyuck screeches, listening to the mass of crickets chirp away. he looks to jaemin and chenle who are just as clueless as him.

“oh my god,” jaemin breathes out after a minute of thinking. he stares at hyuck who comes to the same realization.

“jeno,” they both say, biting on the inside of their cheeks.

⋆⋆⋆

“it’s a good thing you’re cute,” hyuck says as he wraps an arm around jeno’s shoulder as he greets jeno after cleaning his stuff out of the locker room. “because i sure want to punch you in the throat.”

“guess you found the crickets,” jeno shrugs his shoulders as he gets gets in the passenger’s seat.

“impossible not to when they’re loud as hell,” jaemin sighs, dropping his crutches in the back. “coach is going to kill us.”

hyuck giggles that giggle of his, turning the engine on. “good thing we don’t have to deal with him next year.”

⋆⋆⋆

“physical therapy tonight,” jaemin sighs while they’re sitting on his couch after school.

“do you want us to come with you?” hyuck asks, rubbing the younger’s hand. jeno pecks his cheek.

“you’ll have to wait in the waiting room,” jaemin says, shrugging his shoulders and pouting.

“then, we’ll wait,” jeno kisses jaemin’s lips. “don’t worry, nana. we’ve got you, okay? just let us be there for you.”

“okay,” jaemin gives in, eyes fluttering shut, long eyelashes on the tops of his cheekbones, finally relaxing into their touches. “okay.”

⋆⋆⋆

“we got recruited!” hyuck screams into the phone. “seoul national university! we’re committing tonight!”

jeno jumps up from his bed, throwing his homework halfway across the room. “you’re serious? the seoul national university? like forreal?”

jaemin speaks up. “hell yeah, angel! we’re playing there next year.”

a part of jeno’s heart is crushed because they’ll be so far away as he attends a uni closer to busan, but the part of him that is so proud overtakes him. “i’m so, so proud of you guys. you worked your asses off for this.” he means it, too.

“couldn’t have done it this year without you,” hyuck mutters, jaemin agrees with a hum.

“i...i couldn’t have made it without you two. this season...it broke me. but, you guys got me through it. and, i owe you guys every star in the galaxy. every planet in space. every piece of me.”

jeno hushes him. “just continue to be you, nana. that’s all we really need.”

⋆⋆⋆

graduation approaches faster and faster. soon, jeno is sitting in the classroom just a couple days before the ceremony. jaemin is off crutches, but still going to physical therapy. hyuck is happy as ever. renjun and mark are that gross couple nobody wants to be around, even though they don’t go to the same school. and, jisung and chenle are jisung and chenle, cute as ever.

jeno smiles when he thinks about how everything worked out. jaemin got hurt, but he’s going to make it to seoul in the fall. everything is working out as planned. well, maybe not how jeno had planned at the beginning of the year. but, everything fell into focus. everything that was blurry finally makes sense.

⋆⋆⋆

graduation makes him cry, a lot. he hugs all his friends, his team, his boyfriends. he hugs them because for a lot of them, he probably won’t talk to them again.

he’s leaving with renjun, jaemin, and hyuck while jisung and chenle trail behind. he hates that they’re leaving him, but he knows the cheerleading team is in good hands.

they have their own small party at his house, granted permission by his parents. mark shows up, hugging them and congratulating them. renjun and jeno are attending the same university as him. jaemin and hyuck are still bound for seoul.

jisung and chenle complain about how they’re leaving them.

they don’t need alcohol to have fun. they don’t need anything but themselves. jeno stands back and watches hyuck and renjun go at it on the floor while the rest of them watch, amused by their fighting. jeno makes eye contact with jaemin.

words are required between them. one wink from jaemin is enough. jeno blows him a kiss. jaemin grabs it subtly and pockets it. he looks at hyuck who’s stuck in a headlock. the younger grins. jeno mouths i love you. hyuck mouths it back.

⋆⋆⋆

the start of summer is hot and sticky. jeno’s sitting in the driver’s seat for once, holding a purple grape popsicle in one hand and the wheel in the other. jaemin’s in the passenger’s seat, sucking on a rocket pop as they drive to hyuck’s house to play video games.

they arrive two minutes later, hyuck’s popsicle a little melted. jaemin offers it to him anyway and hyuck takes it, letting the syrup drip all over the hardwood floor. he shrugs and takes it to the kitchen to eat.

jeno and jaemin follow. the fan is on because hyuck’s air conditioning is broken. jaemin’s in shorts, jeno in a skirt, and hyuck in boxers because he’s shameless and literally dying of heat exhaustion. his boyfriends don’t blame him. 

jeno knows this summer will be the best one yet. the future still terrifies him, gives him nightmares some nights, but he knows the present is all that matters. he’s determined to make the days count, not count down the days until jaemin and hyuck depart for seoul.

that’s all you can do. you can dread all you want, worry yourself sick and waste the time you have. but it doesn’t get you anywhere. you have to appreciate what you’ve got, what’s in front of you, or you’ll end up miserable.

when jeno looks at hyuck who has green popsicle all over his face and jaemin who’s just laughing instead of helping, he knows this. his heart is so full it’s bursting at the seams, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. not ever.

**Author's Note:**

> leave a kudos or a comment if you liked it. it would mean the world to me. i’d love to write a sequel that follows up. let me know if you’d be down to read it!
> 
> all the love,
> 
> — liv.


End file.
